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‘Cinderella’ Movie Reviews: Disney Hits High Mark With Live-Action Remake Of ‘Cinderella’

By Effie Orfanides
Published on: 02:21 PST, Mar 15, 2015

Cinderella movie reviews are in — and they are pretty great!

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the film may have been “short on humor,” but it was quite wonderful in so many other ways. Most of the laughs came from Helena Bonham Carter, who play’s Ella’s fairy godmother, and the scene where she transforms the pumpkin into a carriage (lizards into footman, and a goose into a coachman) is nothing short of magical, which is, after all, what Disney does best.

The film featured beautiful sets, beautiful costumes, and a splendid cast who all brought their characters to life in the best possible ways.

Cinderella movie reviews have credited Lily James (Downton Abbey), who many weren’t sure would be a good fit for the lead role. However, James portrayed the Disney princess perfectly, and made audiences all over the country fall in love. While no one can deny that the movie induced far more tears than the original animated film, it also created a world that captivated people of every age. It was simply a delight.

Other standout actors included Cate Blanchett, who brought wicked to another level as Ella’s stepmother. And who could possible leave out Prince Charming? Richard Madden (Game Of Thrones) was not only handsome, but quite, well, charming! Those who weren’t too sure that the actor would be able to captivate hearts were proved quite wrong.

As far as the story line goes, here is a synopsis.

The film opens to a baby Ella with her parents, played by Hayley Atwell and Ben Chaplin. While taking mere minutes to build a love for family, Ella’s mother falls ill, and passes away. As the bond with her father grows, he becomes lonely, and asks her to give him her blessing to find a new love. Cue the stepmother.

The instant-hate for this new family (including stepsisters Drisella and Anastasia played by Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger respectively) was palpable, but it didn’t take away from the film in any way. If anything, it enhanced it.

Within moments, Ella’s world changes again. Her father passes away while on a business trip, and all that she is left with is the first branch that brushed his shoulder — something that she requested he bring home to her. Soon after, Ella is treated as a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters, and receives her new name Cinderella, which came from her having soot on her face while sleeping by the fire.

The end of the film was all about love, and the heroine (who is loved by all animals big and small) finds her dreams coming true. Cinderella first meets the prince in the woods (he tells her that he’s an apprentice, and that his name is “Kit”), where the two have an instant connection.

When the ball is announced, Cinderella believes she that this is her chance to see Kit again. She puts on a pink dress that belonged to her mother, and it gets torn apart by her new family. She is told that she will not be going to the ball. Cue the fairy godmother. Cinderella steals the show (literally) when she arrives at the ball in her gold carriage. Can we just take a minute to talk about that dress?!

“The dress, accented with silk butterflies along the neckline and featuring a skirt plumped by petticoats, sparkling with crystals and boasting enough fabric to swirl and sweep around the ballroom dance floor, is dazzling.”

The prince sees Cinderella and cannot take his eyes off of her. She, of course, cannot believe that Kit is the prince! They dance a bit before sneaking off to a secret garden, but before Cinderella gets too deep, midnight approaches, and she must be on her way. With the prince in hot pursuit, a glass slipper is left behind… and you know the rest of the story, of course, and they live happily ever after.

Cinderella movie reviews have mainly been positive. You just can’t deny that magical feeling, and Disney has outdone themselves once more.

“Anyone nostalgic for childhood dreams of transformation will find something to enjoy in an uplifting movie that invests warm sentiment in universal themes of loss and resilience, experience and maturity,” wrote THR film critic David Rooney via CNN.

If you want more Disney magic in your life, Into The Woods will be released on DVD on March 24 according to the Inquisitr.

[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]

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